“In television, images are projected at you.
You are the screen. The images wrap around you.
You are the vanishing point.” ~ Marshall McLuhan
Two mooned satellites,
screen channel flickers,
streamed instruments that
receive moments framed
with algorithmic precision.
In tennis match swivels
from pole to dizzying,
nuanced pole, between
dull and obscene
liver and spleen
deny and intervene
skirting unseen
angles and doom,
branding crimes
that bloom.
I am today’s host for dVerse’ Quadrille Monday. The challenge for today is to write a 44-word poem using some form of the word screen.
I love the change into a rhyming list part way through and the whole poem describes that Big Brother distracting entertainer which is why I hate TV so much I got rid of mine years ago
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Thanks much, Laura. The McLuhan quote impacted me. I’m still enthralled with screens unfortunately. Glad you kicked yours to the curb.
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A commentary that cuts through the verse…yes, like Laura, long ago I got rif of the TV….I agree!
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Thanks so much, Ain. I don’t watch commercial TV but I do watch movies, series, on streaming.
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A very nicely written poem, Lisa 👍 The list that highlights the negatives is something I can relate to it. While I watch some TV at night, you’ll find me working on my laptop or my tablet instead. Beautifully written! ☺️
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Yasan, thanks so much. My nights are spend watching TV :(
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My pleasure, Lisa.
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I love the ambiguity of your quadrille, Lisa. It could be horror, true crime or crime thrillers on TV or, equally, video games. I like the rhymes in these lines:
‘nuanced pole, between
dull and obscene
liver and spleen
deny and intervene
skirting unseen’.
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Kim thanks. I’m glad you got the ambiguity. It’s more about how the creators manipulate us by studying algorithms.
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Fun rhymes in this one.
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Thanks, Maria. I went to rhymezone and started with a list to assist for this one.
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rhymezone is great
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Mr (Critical) TV Watcher really dug this one Lisa, esp the pole to nuanced pole bit. Great stuff and thanks for hosting.
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Thank you, Ron. It’s amazing the gamut tv runs these days. My pleasure on hosting.
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I love the to-ing and fro-ing in your poem,Lisa. Each punchy line reads like a tennis match happening. And the image of those eyes is so compelling too.
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Nina, thank you for sharing your feedback on the poem and image. I was lucky in finding the eyes pic.
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What a brilliantly sharp and evocative quadrille, Lisa! That rhythmic back-and-forth really captures the feeling of modern viewing.
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OM, not sure if you’ve seen A Clockwork Orange, where they are putting the subject through conditioning with his eyes held open? That scene has stayed with me.
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Finding those unforgettable cinematic moments changes how we view everything.
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Nice poem definitely got some classic lines in there Kim! I do my best to limit my screen time but hard to do when its getting colder outside. Awesome poem and thanks for the great prompt!
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Thanks, Cara!
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McLuhan’s words are eerily prescient–and so, as your words display, become the screen we have. (K)
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Indeed and insightful, K.
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Really enjoyed this one. A sad sign of our times…
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Thanks, Paula.
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Bravo, interesting quadrille, Lisa
Much love
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Gillena, thank you <3
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A reflective and engaging poem – Jae
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Jae, thanks much.
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Intense.
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Thanks!
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Love the flow and rhythm of your poem Li
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Sadje, glad you enjoy the poem <3
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🫶🏼♥️🫶🏼
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<3
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That’s a little tour de force; love the rhyming.
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Rosemary thank you for seeing what you see in the poem.
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Great poem, Lisa. I remember hearing of Marshal Mcluhan back during my Freshman year of college. “The medium is the message” seems to be true these days.
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Dwight, thanks. McLuhan’s name is familiar and so is the quote you give.
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Who is watching who, I wonder?!
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Good question, Lynn.
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Lisa I love the stark, techno-dystopian mood you have created with this poem 🙌
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Ange, I love your description <3
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💜
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nice poem
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Thanks, Dua.
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For me it almost tell a story of the past… when TV at least was a fireplace… now we are all alone behind our screens
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:( <3
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Yes Lisa, even if we don’t discard the TV we are at least more choosy with what we see! Thanks for hosting!
Hank
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Yes. My pleasure on hosting.
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I enjoyed the bounce in your poem, Li. The cadence and rhyme are crafted to great effect!
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Happy you enjoyed the cadence and rhyme :)
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An intesting poem. I love the flow. Nicely done quadrille.
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Thank you, Maria.
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It’s complicated
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